Photographic print processing equipment



Feb. 23, 1960 P. E. HIXON ET AL PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT PROCESSING EQUIPMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 29, 1958 INVENTORS. PHIL/P E. Hlxo/v ELMER B) a? E %/r&'

ATTORNEY Feb. 23, 1960 P. E. HIXON ET AL 2,925,767

PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT PROCESSING EQUIPMENT Filed May 29, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR5.

PHIL/P E. H/XOA/ ELMER E WHITE srfilo m ATTORNEY PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT PROCESSING EQUIPMENT Philip E. Hixon, Wantagh, and Elmer E. White, West Hempstead, N.Y., assignors to White-Hixon Laboratories Inc., Westbury, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application May 29, 1958, Serial No. 738,868

Claims. (CI. 95-89) In the processing of color prints on a commercial basis, tanks are employed rather than trays since a great many more color prints may be processed at one time.

In fact, from 20 to 80 color prints may be processed.

satisfactorily in tank equipment as against three color prints when trays are employed. Heretofore, no satisfactory processing tank particularly designed for the expeditious and economic processing of large color prints has been developed. It is, accordingly, an important object of this invention to provide an improved tank structure which is so constructed and arranged to permit the processing of color prints rapidly and at relatively low cost per'print.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a color print processing tankv wherein the vessels holding the processing liquids are provided with means permitting quick dumping of the contents thereof, whereby said vessels may be easily handled, particularly when removed from the tank. l

: A further object of this invention is to provide in the tank means for supplying gas and air for agitating the processing liquids during the color print processing operations.

Still another object of this invention is the provision in a color print processing tank means for regulating the temperature of the water circulating about the vessels holding the processing liquids, as well as of the water supplied to the wash vessel.

, Other objects of this invention, together with certain details of construction and combinations of parts, will appear from the following detailed description and claims.

In the drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of this invention is shown,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the improved color print processing tank of this invention,

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1 in the direction of the arrows,

-Fig. 3 is a top plan view with certain of the vessels, adapted to hold processing liquids, removed, and

Fig. 4 is a detail view on an enlarged scale, showing the valve means provided on most of the vessels of the tank for permitting quick dumping of the liquid contained in said vessels.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings for a detailed description of this invention, the reference numeral indicates generally an elongated tank of any suitable material such as stainless steel or baked epoxy resin coated steel, for example. The tank is supported on a series of legs 11. Extending the length of the tank, midway between the side walls 12 thereof and attached to end walls 13, as by welding, is a beam 14 of substantially square U-shape. Supnit ed States Patent 0 ported on said beam 14 and on the upper edges of the tank walls is a cover 15 provided with a plurality of openings 16, the cover being preferably welded in position. The cover is wider than the tank and the overhanging edges of the cover form flanges 17. The opening's 16 in the cover are of suitable size and shape to receive vessels, generally indicated by reference numeral 18, which are adapted to contain the several treating liquids employed in the processing of the color prints.

The tank structure of the instant invention is eminently suitable for utilizing the highly etficient print carrying basket such as is described and claimed in our copending' application, Serial No. 673,274, filed July 22, 1957, now Patent No. 2,892,393. This print carrying basket is designed to hold a relatively large number of color prints" of various sizes for simultaneous processing through the several vessels 18.

To adjust the temperature of the processing liquids contained in the vessels 18 inserted in the openings 16 in the tank cover, the tank is provided with piping 19 connected to a suitable water supply through a thermostatic water-mixing valve 20 which-is carried by a shelf- 21 of a panel 22 fixed. to the tank along the-length of one side wall. Water circulating through said valveso quickly adjusts the same to the proper temperature. The structure outlined above makes the tank a highly efficient water jacket surrounding the vessels in the tank. The tank is also provided with a water-level gauge 23.

- Referring now more specifically to the vessels insert-; able in the tank, vessel 24 is adapted to contain the de-' veloper, vessel 25 the stop bath, vessel 26 the fixing bath,

vessel 27 the bleach, vessel 28 water, vessel 29 the hardening fixing bath, vessel 30 the hardener and vessel -31 thebufier. The vessels, with the exception of vessel 27 which is adapted to hold the bleach, are preferably made from stainless steel; vessel 27 being preferably made from red brass which resists the corrosive action of the bleach. Each of the vessels other than the water vessel 28, which is permanently fixed, is provided with a quick-draining valve 32 shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, which is fixed to the bottom of the vessel and is operated by a lever system 33 mounted on the outside of the vessel and operated ,by a knob or handle 34 attached to a portion of the lever system 33 which extends through a flange 35 with which the perimeter of each of the vessels is provided. To accommodate the valve-operating lever system, the. openings 16 in the tank cover are; cut away at 36, as is shown in Fig. 3. The provision of the quickdraining valve in certain of the vessels permits the emptying of the processing liquid contained therein into the tank prior to lifting the vessel from said tank. Since the lifting of a vessel containing ten gallons of liquid re.- quires much physical effort on the part of the operative, this draining feature is quite advantageous.

Because the water in vessel 28 must be changed quite frequently, it is provided with a convenient supply of Water from faucet 37 which is mounted on shelf 21 of panel 22. This vessel is, moreover, also provided with a fast dumping valve, not shown, which empties the water into an outside drain in a matter of about ten seconds. A knob or handle 38 operates the fast dumping valve of the water vessel, while a knob or handle 39 operates the tank draining valve.

For agitating the processing liquids, there is provided a series of valves 40 connected to a source of gas supply and to a gas burst timer 41 mounted on the panel 22. The print carrying baskets may be provided with a suitable jack which may be connected to a valve 40 to obtain a flow of gas into the liquid to agitate the same. Operation of the gas burst timer causes a metered burst of gas, i.e. nitrogen, into the processing liquid. Air may Patented Feb. 23, 1960 spears? H a p 3 also" be employed as the liquidagitating gas. To this end, the valves 40 may also be used.

The panel 22 may also have mounted thereon a series of timers 42 which may have audible or visible alarms and thermometers 43 for indicating the temperatures of the water in the tank and the temperature of the water being fed into the tank.

In operation, the print carrying basket is inserted in sequence, after predetermined intervals of time, into the vessels in the following order: (1) developer vessel 24, (2) short stop bath vessel 25, (3) fixing bath vessel 26, (4) water vessel 28, (5) bleaching vessel 27, (6)water vessel 28, (7) hardening fixing bath vessel 29, (8) water vessel 28, and (9) buffer vessel 31. As the color prints in the print carrying basket are treated progressively in the several vessels, the processing liquids are agitated wherever required, by connecting the valves 40 to the jack in the basket. At the end of the processing, or

Whenever desired, the operative merely by operating the" knobs on the vessels or on the tank cover, can empty the vessels as well as the tank to quickly make the structure ready for Subsequent operation.

Thestructure described above makes for an efficient apparatus permitting of the processing of color prints quickly with excellent results from the standpoints of production and ease of handling.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: l

, 1. A color print processing apparatus comprising a tank, a cover for said tank having openings therein, a

vessel adapted to receive processing liquids mounted in each of said openings, one of said vessels being permanently fixed in one of said openings and other vessels being removably mounted in said openings, means connected to said apparatus for supplying liquid to said fixed vessel, quick draining valves carried by said removable vessels and having means for operating said valves extending from the top of said vessels, means for circulating fluid of predetermined temperature through said tank and around said vessels.

2. A color print processing apparatus comprising a tank, a cover for said tank having openings therein, a

vessel adapted to receive processing liquids mounted in each of said openings, one of said vessels being permanently fixed in one of said openings and other vessels beingremovably mounted in said openings, means connected to said apparatus for supplying liquid to said fixed vessel, quick draining valves carried by said rcmovable vessels and dischargeable in said tank, saidvalves having means for operating the same extending from the top-of said vessels, means for circulating fluid 'of predetermined temperature through said tank and around said vessels.

3. A color print processing apparatus comprising a tank, a cover for said tank'having openings therein, a vessel adapted to receive processing liquids mounted in each of said openings, one of said vessels' being permanently fixed in one of said openings and the remaining vessels being removably mounted in said openings, means connected to said apparatus for supplying liquid to said fixed vessel, quick draining valves carried by said removable vessels and wholly movable therewith, said valves having means for operating the same extending from the top of said vessels, means for circulating fluid of predetermined temperature through said tank and around said vessels.

4. A color print processing apparatus comprising a tank a cover for said tank having openings therein, a vessel adaptedto receive processing liquids mounted in each of said' openings, one of said vessels. being permanently fixed in one of said openings and other vessels being removably mounted in said openings, means connected to said apparatus for supplying liquid to said fixed vessel, quick drainingvalves carried by said removable vessels and wholly movable with said vessel and dischargeable in said tank, said valves having means for operating the same extending from the top of said vessels,mea'ns for circulating fluid of predetermined temperature' through said tank and around said vessels.

5. A color print processing apparatus comprising a tank, 'a' cover for saidtank having openings therein, a vessel adapted to receive processing liquids mounted in each of said openings,'one of said vessels being permanently fixed in one of said openings and the remaining vessels being removably mounted in said openings, means connected to said apparatus in proximity to said fixed vessel for supplying liquid thereto, quick draining valves carried by said removable vessels and wholly movable with said vessel and dischargeable in said tank, said valves having means for operating the same extending from the top of said vessels, means including a thermostatic mixing valve carried by the apparatus for circulating fluid of predetermined temperature through said tank and around said vessels.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,254,300 Baker Jan. 22, 1918 2,475,658 Briechle July 12, 1949 2,747,482 Gacki et a1. May 29, 1956 2,810,332 Dignan e Oct. 22, 1957 2,837,988 Pavelle June 10, 1 958 

